Before & After: Chelsea's Buffet Transformation

Chelsea loves refinishing furniture, really believing in and being lured by the beautiful process of completely transforming an unwanted furniture piece in to one coveted! Structurally sound, heavy, sturdy and interesting, this buffet spotted at her local Goodwill thrift store had all the characteristics that Chelsea looks for when hunting for a piece to transform. And the $15 price tag was a sweet bonus!

This piece got a complete makeover, starting with hardware. All hardware was removed and the original holes were filled using Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler. Then I gave the piece a good clean using a damp cloth, but did not fill in any divots or scratches. I love the character those add to a piece I intend to distress in the end anyhow. I wanted a layered paint look with this piece, so I first painted on a coat of Duck Egg blue by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. After that dried I gave it about 2 coats of Spring Mint by Behr. Once the painting was done and dried, I used a medium grit sanding sponge and distressed all edges and corners. Finally, I sealed the piece in Polyurethane Clear Semi-Gloss and attached my new hardware, (library card pulls, my favorite style for pulls, and a couple of jute knobs found at Hobby Lobby for the cabinet doors).

When this piece was finished I probably spent about $35 on supplies, (which included brand new hardware and paint which I already had), so that plus what I originally paid for the piece makes the total cost to refinish this piece $50.

To see more photos and read more of the story behind this buffet, visit Chelsea's blog: